Keeping the Dreams at Bay
by Louey06
Summary: Ana Jarvis is quite surprised when she opens her door in the middle of the night to find a young Tony Stark at her feet.
Disclaimer: All characters mentioned are Marvel property. I'm just borrowing them for a moment

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-Knock Knock-

The sound was extremely soft and tentative, Ana wasn't sure she'd heard anything at all. She stilled for a moment and strained her ears to try and hear it again. Just as she was about to roll over and resume her blissful sleep the sound resumed, slightly louder this time.

-Knock Knock-

The door, someone was knocking on their door. Who on earth was knocking on their door in the middle of the night?

She regretfully wiggled out from underneath Edwin's arm and shed their warm duvet. She slipped on her slippers and donned her housecoat quickly as she headed out of their bedroom. She quickly passed through their small sitting room and opened the door.

"Hello?" For a moment she thought no one was there, but a small noise made her look down. "Master Tony?"

There, barefooted and clad only in his pajamas, was the young Tony Stark himself. He seemed quite nervous, he was biting his lip and clasping his hand tightly.

"What on earth are you doing all the way over here? You should be in bed at this hour." Ana knelt down to the floor to look into the young boy's eyes.

Tony averted his gaze and looked instead at the floor, "I had a bad dream."

"Oh no, come in, you must tell me all about it."

Ana shepherded Tony ahead of her into the room. He was cautious, rarely did Tony enter the Jarvis's apartment. Not that he wasn't allowed, the only rooms in the mansion Ton y was not allowed in were his parent's bedroom, and is father's lab. Everywhere else was free game for the boy. Ana tended to think Tony was actually being respectful with the fact that he didn't enter the Jarvis's home uninvited. The boy respected few things in his life, but Edwin was one of them.

Tony was settled onto the loveseat while Ana popped into the kitchen to warm a glass of milk for him. Quickly as she could, she readied the drink and returned to the boy, who, uncharacteristically, had not moved from where she had set him.

"Here," she handed him the glass, "This is a good way to settle your nerves. Not quite as good as a nice cup of tea, but, it's a bit late for tea don't you think?"

Tony nodded unsurely and took a sip of his milk.

"Now, tell me what happened. Everything."

Tony stayed silent, his eyes fixed on his glass. "It helps," Ana said softly, "to speak about the things that frighten you. Fears aren't so bad when you share them with someone else."

Tony shifted on the couch and took a deep breath. Before any words came out a sound came from the bedroom, "Ana?"

Tony visibly relaxed at the sound of the voice, "I am out here darling," Ana called quietly in return.

Edwin stumbled out of their room, his hair mussed with sleep and his face confused, a wonderful look for her husband, "What are you doing- Master Tony! What are you doing up so late?"

"I had a bad dream."

"Good heavens, well, we'll need to set that right won't we." Edwin crossed over to the loveseat sitting down next to Ana and trying to flatten his gray hair from it mussed state. He looked at Tony, the boy meeting his gaze easily, "Have you already told Ana the details?"

"We were just getting to that before you so rudely interrupted, Mr. Jarvis." Ana said, without a hint of reproach.

"Splendid," Edwin said grandly, forcing a small giggle from Tony, "My timing was perfect. I should like to hear all about it, Master Tony, if you please."

As Tony began recounting the dream the small smile on his face slid off quickly, "I was in my bed, 'cept it was dark and I couldn't see my room. But it was real loud. There was lots of yellin' an' smashin'. An' I tried to cover my ears an' not listen like you told me to. But it didn't work." Tony's eyes started to leak small tears and his words quickened as he spoke, "An' it kept getting; louder and louder an' I coudn't make it stop. So I tried to get outta bed and leave, but that didn't work neither. An' it just got louder and louder…"

Tony's voice dissolved into a fit of tears. Edwin took the glass of milk out of Tony's hand as Ana covered him with a hug. "Oh, my little ketzile, it is aright."

Ana hardly felt Edwin as he moved around her to embrace Tony from the other side. She could not stand the little boys pain. Especially as she saw where his fear was rooted firmly in reality.

As unendingly grateful as she was to Howard Stark for all he had done for her and Edwin, she could not stand how he treated his young son. With her own lack of ability to bear children, she was appalled at Mr. Stark's apathy towards his child. His constant fighting with his wife and mounting fits of rage as he drowned his days in liquor disgusted her.

And here, taking the brunt of things he had no control over, was little Tony. The brightest thing to grace Ana's life since Edwin stepped into her world. The little boy was absolutely brilliant, and not in the usual way that parents think of their children, he truly was a prodigy in every sense. The boy understood concepts that Ana still struggled with. At the tender age of four, Tony was the one correcting Ana's math, not the other way around.

Ana loved the little boy more than she thought possible. When Edwin told her the terrible news after her accident, Ana never thought she'd be a mother. She never thought she'd make a bond with a child so strong that she could hardly understand it. Yet here she was, wrapped around a little boy, Her husband on the other side providing much needed love and affection to someone she considered her own.

"Shh, matoki, you do not need to cry. It is over and you are safe now." Ana stroked his hair with one hand, "Let go of your tears."

"Yes, Master Tony, it is all over and there shan't be any more bad dreams tonight we'll make sure of it." Edwin comforted from the other side, his hand rubbing small circles on Tony's back.

Tony slowly quieted under the gentle ministrations of the two adults. Finally, the last whimper settled and Edwin reached out to take the glass of milk from the table, "Have a drink. It will make you feel better. Everything Ana makes always makes me feel much better.

Tony dutifully took a long drink of milk before returning the glass to Edwin.

"There. Much better now." Ana smiled, "Now we had best get back to bed. We can't stay up at all hours now can we?"

As she stood up Tony's face fell. He slowly pushed off the loveseat and started morosely walking towards the door back into the mansion itself.

"Where are you going?" Ana demanded.

Tony looked at her curiously, "to bed."

"I think not. We can't send you out alone. How will we kept the dreams out if you're all the way in your room? You'll be staying with us tonight."

Tony's face nearly split in half with the smile that took over it. "Really?"

"Certainly," Edwin said as he returned from setting the dirty milk glass in the kitchen. "We can't have you wandering the house at night. Simply preposterous."

Ana took Tony's hand and headed into the bedroom, Edwin right behind them. She slipped off her slippers and housecoat as Edwin and Tony settled into bed. She climbed in the other side and put her arm around the little boy now sharing her bed.

He immediately melted into her embrace, resting his head against her breast and closing his eyes. Ana smiled down at him, flattening his dark hair down on his head. She saw Edwin smiling at the two of them before he too closed his eyes once more for the night.

Ana did not close her eyes. She kept staring at the precious thing in her arms. It was true that she could never be a mother. Fate had cruelly taken that choice out of her hands in an instant. But later, fate repented, and it blessed her with a son.

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AN:So this is a bit different for me huh? I just love Agent Carter. It's an awesome show and the Jarvis's are my new OTP They are too cute for words. When I thought about Ana with Tony I just had to write it down. I hope I did everyone justice. This is my first foray into this fandom, but I'm quite happy with it.

As we know Ana's Jewish, I decided to let her have some Hebrew/Yiddish pet names for Tony. She seems the type to bestow such endearments. Jarvis does not, thus him only calling the boy 'Master Tony'

Ketzile: little kitten in Yiddish

Matoki: Sweetie in Hebrew

(According to the internet at least. I have no knowledge of Hebrew or Yiddish.)


End file.
